EU penalizes Google with EUR 1.49 billion - Third penalty in two years

Google was hit with a 1.49-billion-euro fine on Wednesday, March 20, the third antitrust sanction from the European Union in two years after a record-breaking 4.34 billion euro penalty last year and a 2.4-billion-euro sanction in 2017 over its anti-competitive practices, Reuters reports.

The European Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, said Google, a division of Alphabet, had prevented third parties using its AdSense advertising service from displaying search advertisements from Google’s competitors.

She said its actions meant advertisers and website owners had less choice and likely faced higher prices that would then be passed on to consumers.

Google Inc. United States

EUROPEAN COMMISSION Bruxelles

Alphabet

Google penalty

EU penalizes Google

online advertising

AdSense platform

Margrethe Vestager